3Ddata

3Ddata refers to information that encodes the shape, position, and appearance of three-dimensional objects and scenes. It captures geometry, attributes, and spatial relationships, allowing rendering and analysis from different viewpoints. Common representations include point clouds, polygonal meshes, voxel grids, NURBS, and texture maps.

Point clouds store coordinates and optional attributes for discrete surface samples. Meshes describe surfaces with vertices, edges, and faces. Voxels partition space into a grid with occupancy or attribute values. NURBS provide smooth parametric surfaces. Textures supply color or material information mapped to geometry.

3D data is generated by scanning, photogrammetry, CAD modeling, or procedural generation. Widely used formats include STL, OBJ, PLY for geometry; FBX and GLTF/ USD for complex scenes; and VDB for volumetric data. Streaming and compression innovations, such as Draco, aid real-time applications.

3D data supports product design, architecture, manufacturing, GIS, film, game development, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and 3D printing. Interoperability and standardized metadata facilitate pipelines across software tools and platforms.

Key processing tasks include reconstruction, registration, simplification, remeshing, texture mapping, and physical simulation. Challenges include large data sizes, noise and holes, topological errors, alignment across captures, and the need for consistent coordinate systems and metadata.